Plan to restore heritage of former Grantham nightclub building

A former nightclub is set to get a facelift under the district council’s shopfront improvement scheme.

Diablo’s, in Wide Westgate, was a nightclub and bar and has gone by many names over the years, but it has been vacant for some time.

Former nightclub Diablo's as it stands now.

In a bid to restore the character of the Grade II-listed building, owner Buckminster wants to ‘remove the existing inappropriate modern shopfront and reinstate the historic timber shopfront’ on the ground floor.

If approved by the district council, the local authority would part-fund the work under the shopfront improvement scheme it operates with support from Historic England.

The application states: “The proposed shopfront reinstatement and building repairs represent a significant investment in the building’s maintenance and future lifespan.

“They have been carefully designed and influenced by traditional material and good local examples. This cautious conservative approach will ensure the reinstatement work shall complement the historic building elevation, bring the building back more in line with its original form and make a positive contribution to the surrounding historic context.”

Buckminster drew on several successful examples of premises which were altered under the shopfront improvement scheme, including Print Hub and The Trickling Tap, in Market Place.

n What do you think to the work being done to restore the heritage of the Westgate area? Email: comment@granthamjournal.co.uk